Friday, August 26, 2005

We Are Living In Hell

Hello,It has been along time since I posted my last subject, the situation here do not help to write at all, the temperature is very high, no electricity, we have only 4 hours of electrical power in the 24 hours of the day, no security, no water, no peace and there are always explosions and bombcars, as an example, four days ago a big explosion happened near my house, it was done by abombcar, this bombcar cost people life's, broke windows, and brought fear.Our windows were broken and so are windows of most houses in the neighborhood but thanks to God we are all fine but who knows in the next time we may get hurt, after the explosion we cleaned the broken windows so no one get hurt from it and so did our neighbors and some of them were out side wondering what happened, we were expecting that the American soldiers will search our house and the other houses in the neighborhood, but they didn't and that is weird because this is not the first explosion happened here, any way tings went back to normal few hours later but people died, Two of those who died were children about 10 years of age and they use to bring us fuel for our electrical generator...

87 Comments:

Dear Raghda,I hope that you know how much I want peace, comfort, and security for you. I read your blog for two reasons, because it is so wonderfully entertaining, and because I just want to be sure you are OK. It breaks my heart when you are feeling unsafe. But, I am very sure that soon you will be able to walk outside, with a kitty cuddled in your arms and just take a big breath and SMILE. SMILE. SMILE.

Dear Raghda,I am glad that you and your family are ok and I am very sorry to hear about the two children who died. I hope that the future will bring you and all Iraqis peace and I hope that future will come soon! Take care and stay safe.

Dear Raghda, I am an American. I understand how hard this must be for you. What is important to remmeber is that no matter what people do, even if you die. There is God. Have faith in Almighty God, and he will guard you.May God be with you.

I am so sorry to hear of the car bomb, and the deaths of those children and others. Know that there are many in my country who want peace , and lots who love to look at the beautiful pictures on your site. Be well, dear Raghda.

Raghda, I don't know why you aren't getting lots and lots and lots of comments, but please know that I check your site all the time, because I love your cat pictures, and because I care a lot about your safety and the safety of your family. I have three children of my own, though they are older than you are. I keep hoping for a world in which everyone is safe--people and cats, and flowers, and all things. In posting your cat photos, and your news, you are bringing good things to the world. Beauty, and honesty. These are important. Thank you.

I didn't comment at first because I felt so sad about what's happening to you & to your family & the people in Iraq. I was also trying to think of how to say how wonderful I think it is to cope with all of that and continue to share your love of cats with your pictures. I'm thinking, this is a brave young lady because all around her the world is falling apart and yet she is still able to post pictures and try to continue having a normal young person's life. I am praying for you & your family all the time, for your safety and for your emotional well being too. I send you lots of cyber hugs. I am using my blogger ID but I am also called Storyteller, from http://shanachie.diary-x.com

Sorry I didn't leave a comment before, Raghda. I'm not quite sure what to say. Whatever I can say won't be enough. Those poor children. By killing them these cretins haven taken away their future as well as that of their country's (the children are the future of any people).

I am just glad you and your family are okay. I pray for your family (and all of Iraq) all the time and visit Baghdad Girl every day. Your cat pictures always make me smile.

I think a lot of peope who read your posts may be just like me. They don't know what to say. The truth is we are being told by our leaders how well things are going in your country and how much progress is being made. Your story about your life makes us wonder. I hope and pray that we have not made your situation worse. What do you honestly think. What can we do to support you ?

I can't think of anything to encourage you so I'm ust skipping this part..I want you to know that love of people to you is not measured by comments or e-mails.. I love you even if you start posting rats instead of cats :D

Love can't be measured by words, and certainly not by comments..

Don't EVER start comparing yourself with anyone, because I know, and others do too, that you are so UNIQUE you can't be measured with anyone but yourself, and then too you'll win.

You can be sure that people all over the world worry about you and other Iraqis. You are not alone or forgotten. If people knew how to help you, they would -- but most people feel helpless about it. All they can do is hope that the problems will be over soon.

Selam HNK...I feel bad that you suffer many bad things at your age.And i am so amazed that instead of sitting you are trying to keep up your optimism.You are helping all the world to realize what is really happening to young people of Irag.Baghdad was once called `city of peace` ironically.I still want that honor for Baghdad and for all of Irag.Keep up your work , and even if you don`t get many comments now your life will be proof of the real side of war forever.I also want to tell to all Iragis that all the bad things happening to you is not just because of bad people in the world.It is also about how good you are.God says in the Quran that what we will have is going to be what we do now.Do not wait like lazy animals for food to come to their mouth.Find your food like lions.Show all the world that Muslims are happy in both worlds.And please put some smile on your faces.!!!(I know it is even harder now ,but we have God).Peace to Baghdad....City Of Peace...

I'm like others. I just don't know what to say. I am praying for you and those in your country. Sending cyber hugs across the net and some nice long strokes for your cats. I'm sure you'll be happy to give those to them for me.

Never forget Ragdha, That god is with you. God is Greatist. And God does not take sides in this war. God wishes all Beleivers and Servants of Him to Worship together. God is all encompassing. There is a saying that is in many langueges. Go with God.Vaya con Dios.Allah Aqbar.

This Um Yasmine from long time ago. It has been long time ago since I read your blog. I read only this morning and I am sorry for what you are going through on a daily basis. Allah yeesaidkum million mara. My prayers are for you and all decent and honest Iraqis who want peace for Iraq. I worry too for I have family in Baghdad too and when I hear of car explosions I jump out of my skin. Be safe and I know you have started school today. I wish you a good year. Love you cat pictures, my daughter Yasmine loves cats like you. Takecare and say hi to your family.

Assalamualaikum... Dear Raghda,i hope that you and your family are all safe under Allah's blessings.. i'm Masturah from Malaysia and i also hope all the Iraqis will get what they and the people around the world want.. PEACE!! - be strong girl..! maybe all those difficulties which lies now with bring something good for your future.. we, all the muslims people in Malaysia, pray that tomorrow would be even more better than today or yesterday.. - my youngest sister enjoys so much with your cat photos.. she just 5 years old.. wassalam..

Raghda: Here it is September. Is it any better now than when the carbomb exploded? I hope you are safe. I love your website with all the cats. I am a cat lover too and have 2 cats. Keep up the great work on your site and stay safe!

Dear Raghda.. I'm Masturah, the girl from Malaysia.know what?? today.. my cat died.. It was so sad. i called it 'Tompok' because it have black spots just like a dalmantion. it means spot in my language. Sad. I am really sad.. i cried about 5 hours. my other family members too.. i bury it in the garden in front of my house. i hope i will get another cat just like Tompok.. love Tompok so much..

It is people like you - the Islamists who want Taliban country that are blowing up people and innocent 126 laborers.

Hey, anonymous, this site shouldn't be spammed with adult issues. Take your hatred elsewhere, you heartless fool. If you want a good can of whoop-ass, take your mindless drivel to one of the aforementioned boards and I'll be there to serve you some.

Please ignore him/her/it, Raghda. Those ignorant people have no idea what the facts are so the best they can do is lump everyone into the same group.

Hmm freedom of expression, yes one should have it. I just was thinking about the ladies in Saudi- they dont have the freedom to even move around!.

I just read a book by one who escaped from there(none other than Osama's Sister in Law, Carmen- in her book "Inside the Kingdom"). http://cruiserdeep.blogspot.com/2005/09/hi-all-i-just-read-book-by-osama-bin.html .

I agree to most of what carmen says, but as a person who has been to Saudi on my business trips I have a slightly less shocking picture of what has been said.

When its your culture(And u r not aware of other cultures or any new learnings, generally no inputs from the world's whichs are censored- for most of Saudians this is the case, especially ladies) you don't really feel pathetic living in it(ignorance is bliss).

And a foreigner feeling aghast by experiencing this alien culture, and trying to prescribe his or her culture to Saudians, is not very proper. Similar is the case of sub-cultures like where Khusboo drew flak from, who are we to prescribe behaviour codes for them.

The realisation always is best coming from within, not by provocation but by induction.

Dear Raghda,I just discovered your website. I'm sorry you must live through this peril. I could tell you that family is the one thing you can trust, I could also tell you that you must be strong... I could tell you many things. But it's not my place to tell you these things, because I don't know how it is. I have my own challenges, my own hardships but my windows don't blow up because of any explosion. But I can tell that you are a very strong person. And I can also tell that Mike, David and many anonymous people are willing to help you, support you when you most need help. Good luck.

Raghda,I'm so sorry for what our government did to you and your people. Many Americans tried to do what we could to make it clear to George Bush that we did not support this war, but Mr. Bush feels democracy is only really a virtue when it serves his interests. I am sorry that you have to live without the things you had before our nation launched this illegal and unnecessary war. I wish there was more we could do, but our government has become completely unresponsive to the majority of Americans who believe we were misled into a mistaken war with Iraq. I know your nation had nothing to do with 9/11, and I am disgusted that that awful day was used as an excuse to bring suffering on the poor people of Iraq.Regardless, know that many Americans are shocked and saddened that in 2 years we have done nothing to make life better for Iraqis. As much blood and treasure has been thrown at this endeavor, it would be gratifying to believe we've made a difference. The difficult part is realizing that difference is only to make the lives of ordinary Iraqis less secure and safe than before.Please just let your friends and family know that many Americans would never have brought this pain on you and your nation. We were simply unable to stop our corrupt and murderous leaders.

Inshallah Allah wil bring peace for you, your family and the Iraqi people. As for those of you who thought of bringing their political ignorant views you all need to stop watching channels like FOX news and other stupid unbalanced media sources!

To the Anonymous who said... "Guess who is building and exploding the bombcars"

Posting comments like these while being anonymous shows that you are one coward; you hide because you are mentally unstable and fear that people will discover that about you. Anybody who says something like that is probably a racist who have no place to go because they are not welcomed any where. Keep your FOX news facts to yourself because we know who is really doing this. It really shows how stupid you are because you can't even know the difference of what’s happening in Iraq and the Taliban movement.

Deepunderground, Today there is nothing really censored. The internet and TV channels would give access to the whole world. It's about what Saudi women want and believe me you will find many of them that will tell you they are happy with it and don’t need anything more. Our culture is unique and nobody has to force others to adapt any ideas if they don’t want it, because after all you are talking about freedom right?

Dear Raghda,I hope, your are still okay.I live in Germany and for me, that everything you are writing about is very far away for me.I can't imagine how horrible it is to live in fear all the time. I visited your blog the first time today and I'm really depressed now.I hope the situation in Iraq will get back to normal soon and in some years or maybe decades you will live like I do - with no idea about terror and war.

Dear Raghda,I run a website and have to "clean up" the guest book constantly. So I hope you can ignore rude or insensitive comments. I wish you all the best. But know that America is not the enemy and that peace can take time. Look how long it took to make New York City a safe place.

Heya RaghdaTake it all easy, hide and run if you must, take care and dont let your spirit die. I don't believe in god but you should have something to hang on to :) so hope you faith will pull you through

HELLO RAGHDA,I HAVE TWO CATS AT HOME, ONE IS FLUFFY AND WHITE, THE OTHER IS GRAY. THEY SAID THEY WISH THEY COULD GIVE YOU A BIG CUDDLE, BUT FOR NOW JUST KEEP IN MIND THAT THE WORLD IS HERE FOR YOU. I DON'T KNOW HOW OLD YOU ARE, BUT YOU ARE AN EXTREMELY COURAGOUS PERSON WHOM I HAVE THE UPMOST RESPECT FOR. YOU HAVE HEART, AND NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, YOU NOW WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. TO MY HERO. SINCERELY, LISA LEDBETTER

Dear Raghda,I'm an American soldier who is in Iraq with you today. I want you to know that we are trying to help bring peace to Iraq, even though it's sometimes scary and sometimes we lose our friends and family by doing so.I have been here for over a year and when I return home there will be some people who think poorly of me for being a soldier. But, I know that we are doing everything we can to help you and that helps me stay strong even though some people will never understand.Through the help of God and each other there will one day be peace in Iraq. I promise you.Stay strong. We can do this.

Please do not insult and defile Raghda and her website with politicized views, no matter what they are, whether they are Left or Right, or anything else. Please, show some respect.P.S.-Raghda, may God guide your actions, and may you do His will.

Hi,I found your website a few days ago.I'm really sorry things are so messed up over there. I'm not sure how you feel about the American soldiers and such, if they are making you feel safer than I'm glad they're there.I'm glad you're okay ^_^

hi, i found your site today and i love your pictures. i am truly sorry about what is going on and i hope that the soldiers will help you out. i know nothing of how you feel but i wish u good luck. i hope your family and your neibors will be safe.good luck

Raghda: I'm really sorry and sad because of you, your family and all the cats that live in Iraq... The american soldiers have to pay, but not suffering, instead of that they have to recognize their errors and Iraq most forgive them, but if not it's okay... I am mexican and I don´t like what American's president is doing with Iraq.Iraq don't have the fault...Please God! help them and make Americans think what they have done... Happy Christmas and I'll always pray for you, your family and all the cats that are lonely and scared because of that horrible attacks... You are the best, please contact me: carolinevzqz@hotmail.com, remember that you'll be safe! From: Caro :)

Yeah, you're right. Its so bad whats happening in the world. Killing,raping,malesting,stilling,burglary, and more. I wish someone can put a stop to this. All human beings have the right to live their life.

Raghdad:I just found your site.first I was happy to see some one from there is able to contact the out side wolrd,then as I was reading more and more I started crying and crying,I want to say I am so proud of your courage you are so brave Don't give up ,God is bigger than all this,and we are going to continue to pray and will not stop praying till all this killing and hatered stopes.

After hearing about your cats page on NPR I looked up the website immediately.When I read one particularly hateful comment in this section I was appalled and I wish to apologize for their ignorant and racist remarks. To think that this particular individual would hide behind remaining anonymous and not give a name makes me really angry. I am not a religious person myself but do respect all religions and those who follow the tenets taught. You are doing a wonderful thing by helping in bridging the gap between west and east. Bless you.Assalam Alaikum,

I'm another person who heard about your site because it was mentioned on NPR this morning. I came to your site and now I want to show it to everyone I know here in the U.S. (I'll start with my daughters, they will love all the cute cats.) I marched against going to war because I thought it was a stupid and risky thing for America to do, and it is so sad to be proved right. Well, I'll stop with the politics, I know the whole thing is very complicated now, but I do want you know how many people in America wish very very much that all the violence that we started up could be undone somehow. I hope some day you will get to visit the U.S. and meet kids just like you. And I hope that many kids from the U.S. will some day get to see Baghdad, in a time of peace.

Please keep yourself safe, you are precious to many people in this world!

I heard about your site on NPR. I love cats too. I rescue homeless cats and find homes for them, and I have four cats of my own.

I'm so sorry to hear about the terrible conditions you face; about the lack of power and the bombs. I can't imagine what that would be like.

I think you are doing a great thing with your web site and your pictures of cats. It's great to show the rest of the world your point of view. Please forgive all the people who post rude, stupid and hateful things on your site--they are very sad people. I hope someone can help you keep the site clean now that you are famous. :-)

Wow! Raghdad you are like a celebrity (on the radio and stuff)Your blog site is great. Thank you for sharing what is happeing in your life. I will pray for you.....your family and your friends. Stay strong chic. You'll get where you want to go someday. Your determination is inspiring.Love and peace

Dear Baghdad Girl, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for this whole stupid war. Nobody really worries about kids feelings, do they? I've cried about it a lot of nights. I'm sorry about everything.Why our generation? What did we do to deserve this? I can't think of anything to encorage you exept I know how you feel, and I'm pretty sure that you don't need more lies right now. America was wrong. We shouldn't have gone into your country following lies, killing soilders who shouldn't have been killed, ruining lives. Those two boys would be alive if we hadn't, and we were wrong. IsabelleP.S. Baghdad Girl, always remember to live. Too many people need your pictures of those cute cats!!!